A few weeks ago The Food Trust and Hayday Farms had the pleasure of bringing a pop-up farm stand back to the wonderful folks at the Firehouse Active Adult Senior Center, and this time around the turnout was even bigger! Sixty-seven individuals brought home over $900 worth of fresh produce, almost twice as much as our first farm stand at the Firehouse in August. The vast majority of these products, which included squash, apples, grapes and, yes, more gorgeous tomatoes, were purchased with Food Bucks and Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) vouchers.

This uptick in sales has been attributed to a number of factors, including an increase in Firehouse membership enrollment, building buzz following the first market, and the upcoming end of FMNP season, prompting folks to spend down their vouchers. The staff at the Firehouse has been very creative with their Food Bucks distribution, as well, using many as prizes for raffles and bingo.

The Food Trust and Hayday Farms plan to host one final pop-up farm stand of the season at the Firehouse later in November. We’ve been so happy to deepen this partnership over the last several months and look forward to finishing up the seasons strong with these wonderful seniors!